She writes: “I asked for ordination August 2013. At the same time, I decided to embark on the adventure of Going Forth. Though I understood that the ordination process involved practice in daily life with Buddhist friends, I also longed to use my skills and knowledge for the benefit of others.
So here I am, working for the Forest and Climate Change project, supporting forest education and training across Indonesia. There are seven training centers and five vocational schools across Indonesia, run by the Ministry for Forestry.
In order to bring about a drastic (20%) reduction in CO2 emissions, the ministry is setting up over 600 new forest management units. Sadly, however, they lack the skilled staff with which to do this. So, I am working on "human capacity development", improving staff learning and training. The idea is that Indonesia should become a centre of excellence for forest training across the whole ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) region.
Working and living in this very different culture is very enriching, but it's also challenging. Now I've settled in I realise how hard it is to be so far from my Buddhist friends and the sangha at Essen Buddhist Centre.
I'd love to set up a Going For Refuge group [a study and friendship group for those who have requested ordination with the Triratna Buddhist Order] on Skype with two or three women who are also training for ordination, for reflection and discussion about putting Buddhist principles into practice. We could create a mini-sangha online!
I'd suggest meeting every other Sunday, 14.00-16.00 GMT (15.00-17.00 German time/ 9am-11 am New York time/ 20.00-22.00 West Indonesian time).
I'll be on the “Going For Refuge” retreat at Tiratnaloka, UK in December. Maybe I'll meet some of you there!
Now the muezzin is calling Muslims to prayer. Time for meditation.”
Email Anne-Cathrin.